The First King
by Enakra
Summary: Explains the beggining of the Pridelands and the life story of the first king!
1. Chapter 1

**This story was inspired in the masterpieces of Asante´s person avaible at the FanFiction site.**

**This took me quite a time to write, and lots of hard and scrupulous work with the words, since English is not my mother tongue, hope to have met the «average» speaker level.**

**I gave my best to not make any mistake, but as we all know, I´m human and is intrinsic to my condition, the chance of making an error, so I ask from you the most sincere comprehension towards any failures in the text.**

**I will restrict the characters to a minimum, to don´t overflow the reader´s brains, and also to don´t make the text too «fluffy».**

**I really don´t have the comic vein, so forgive me for the «not-humorous» profile of this story.**

**Also forgive me for the lack of vocabulary patented in my texts, sometimes no other word´s come to my mind, on other situations the apparently more «appraisable» word, just doesn´t fit in the overall context of the story.**

**This story takes place in the 60´s and it explains mine and Asante´s theory to the beginning of the Pride lands, the story follows a timeline (I think) easy to follow, and the language is pretty simple.**

"**IF THE MAN WAS BORN IN AFRICA "**

**THE WAR WAS BORN IN AFRICA**

Prologue

A young lion was walking alone in the Savanah, his half-grown mane waved with the wind, as he walked with his head lowered, facing the ground with sadness and annoyance. He reached the base of a little hill covered with some rocks, and few acacia trees. For a moment, that little hill got his attention, and he became possessed by the childhood spirit of intrigue. He climbed to the top, trying not to hit any of the rocks in its climb, when he reached it, the intrigue had faded away carrying the childhood with it. He laid in the grass, watching the dusking sun reflecting in the huge water mirror, that was the Rovuma river. Herds of zebra and wildebeest were watering from the river banks on both sides. He turned his head to the side, and his eyes immediately focused in a low kopje not far away from where the herds were watering. In the top of the Kopje he could see some small feline figures laying in the sun, and observing the majestic landscape ahead of them. Not very far away from the Kopje a small group of cubs, were playing, probably a tag game, since one of the cubs was running crazy behind another.

A movement in his range of vision got his attention. A young lioness laid near the river bank, gazing at the shinning waters of the Rovuma, she was about 500 meters from him, in his eyes, she was just a pinpoint of reflecting light projecting in his retina, however in his poetic horizons, her face was as defined as in the day he saw her for the first time, day that, was for sure, forgotten somewhere in his memory, can´t be said the same of her face.

"Eshe…" The young lion mumbled, looking at the pinpoint in the horizon for who he was willing to die for.

If the youth spirit had a face, could only be Eshe´s , he thought to himself, remembering her beautiful eyes, blue and deep as a summer sky.

The youth buried his face, in the grass, dreaming while the dusking sun stroked his roguish half-grown mane, symbol of his youth, in which he had no proud of.

Something was heaving on his mane, the light has no weight… He thought to himself with his face still buried in the grass. About ten seconds passed and the weight on his neck increased, although a little bit uncomfortable, that weight was strangely familiar, the weight of the trust, the weight of family, the weight of… A paw?!

"Dad!?" The youth greeted with surprise his father, still trying to move his paw from the neck.

The youth looked to his father, with proud. The huge lion ahead of him imposed respect just for his look, besides his huge stature, his silky black mane, would intimidate any who dared to fight with him.

The older didn´t greeted back, he just gave an appeasing smile to his son.

"I was just wanted to be alone… You know to think…" The young lion tried to anticipate his father.

The older lion, sat near his son, and gazed at the monumental landscape ahead of them, he behold the kopje with the lionesses watching the sun go down, the little cubs running in the plains, and, as well as his son, also the lonely lioness got his attention.

"Beautiful thoughts I agree!" The older lion joked, smiling to his son, that blushed beneath his fur.

"Oh… Eshe?!" The young lion said trying to disguise.

"I said nothing…" The older lion stated, smiling to his son.

The youth raised his head to the blue and orange sky high above him.

"Kopa tell me… Is everything alright?" The old lion asked, predicting his son worries.

"It´s just all this brother thing…"

"Or sister…" His father corrected.

"I just… I´m not sure if I´m going to be quite a good brother…"

"I see!" The older lion said with a deep voice.

"I´m scared!" The youth sighed.

"That´s very mature from you!" His father noted with a praising tone.

"What? To be afraid?" He mumbled in a disagreeing tone.

"No, to think in the other´s!"

"You know son? I felt exactly the same thing!"

"Do you have a brother?" Kopa asked in surprise.

"No, but I have a son, and a family that I can´t let down!"

No answer came from the youth´s mouth. That after hearing these words, realized how worry-free he still was.

The older lion let a longing sigh, then his head raised to the starlit sky. His eyes shinned like the stars he was gazing at!

"Son, let me tell you one thing my father once told me…"

**The first king**

Kopa woke up in the den, well at least he though having so. His lethargic state only had spared his mind from the completely asleep status.

His wavy line of though, lead him through uncertainties, and doubts. All things he wished to have vanished from his head, with the last night conversation with his father.

His eyes opened. He well recognized where he was. The pride´s den. The dark high walls, the polished floor, due to the resting of generations over it, all that place could be described to him as one simple word: Home.

His head turned to the side, a familiar lioness was sleeping by his father side.

Kopa walked slowly, calculating with precision, the exact place where to put the paws, trying to make the less noise as possibly.

He stood near the lioness, and his dad. They really looked perfect for each other! He though.

His eyes admired the beautiful golden lioness. Her fur was so soft and heartening, almost like a always-present friendly shoulder where you can always cry your sorrows.

His eyes now admired the lioness's belly. Her full womb gave him hope, hope of understanding, what he in his ingenuous youth had never perceived: Life!

Dreadful he placed his paw on his mother grown belly. He could feel the fast pulsating blood, urging to feed new life. Suddenly he felt something, something more than just a simple pulse. It was like if the foetus had moved, and in that move something had yelled: "I exist!"

"Oh my dear brother or sister, how much I wanted to talk with you. Tell you about the things even I can´t understand. Enjoy being there, because it won´t be forever! Soon you´ll be in this world and suffer all type of overbearing's. You will lost the count of the times, you´ll cry for mother, dad, or even me, forcing you to do something you don´t want, even if is for your own good, how many times, you will agree with something just to don´t let us down, how many tears you will shed over the chains of the family, the only chains you won´t be able to cut.

You will also learn… That this world don´t spare anyone from the pain or the suffering, If you are born a girl, you will be obliged to hunt every day, doesn´t matter if out there is a torrid day, you can´t let your family to starve, you will have to fight more for your rights, and you will have to defend your cubs with your life if another male takes the pride. If you are born boy, life will also reserve harsh surprises… For having more muscle they will impose to you arbitrary responsibilities, for having a mane, they will laugh when you crave for affection, for having a different genitalia, you will be trusted to commit your own life, to kill or to be killed in a meaningless war. So, no matter what gender you are born, just enjoy, the best way you can this little miracle that is life!"

"Isn´t life strange?" A female voice whispered from behind him

"Eshe?!" Kopa whispered nervously, blushing uncontrollably, for having someone hearing him talking alone, and because that «someone» was his love interest.

Kopa´s eyes got fixed in Eshe´s. He never had seen her from so close, so close that his own eyes almost got lost in her sky blue retinas.

Eshe too, had never been so close to Kopa. Nothing in him was different from other lions, his fur was golden beige, his mane was from a dark brown tone, and his eyes got a green yellowish coloration. However that young bard got her attention.

She had heard Kopa´s words to his not-even-born-brother, and an unexplainable interest in the prince Kopa had conquered her heart.

"You're lucky you know?" She said, resting his head on Kopa´s shoulder.

He almost passed out, when she placed her head on his shoulder. "Wh…Why?" He mumbled in his shyness.

" I always wished to have a sibling." Eshe whispered showing a sad smile.

"Isn't properly a bed of roses…"

"Yeah but… Having someone of your own blood, someone that grows with you, someone that will always be there for you…"

"Only the time will tell!" Kopa, spoke now in a deep enigmatic tone.

"Uh… By the way aren´t you a little bit late for the knights?" Eshe asked with a consoling smile.

"I don´t feel to go train with those psychos…" Kopa replied heading outside the den.

"Wow… Those guys are no-brainers, but aren´t so bad…" Eshe said trying in vain to cheer her friend.

"I don´t feel to go today! And… If my mother need´s me?"

A cough echoed in the quiet kopje. Kopa recognized the sound immediately and ran inside the den, where his mother was sleeping.

"Mom are you alright?!" Kopa rushed to the lioness.

His mother looked to him in surprise, then she smiled comprehensively.

"Shh… Why the worry son?" She whispered to his ears in a tender voice.

He nuzzled his mother "Just wanted to make sure you were alright!"

She stroke his son mane with affection and proud.

"I love you son"

"I love you too mother!" Kopa mumbled almost crying.

"Have fun at the knight´s!" The queen hugged her son.

"But you…"

"I know how to take care of myself… And I always have your father!" She said trying in vain to console his son.

She pulled her son close, and to his ears she whispered "Make me proud of you!"

An unclarified fire broke out inside the young prince´s heart. He stood up, nuzzled his mother and left the den, realizing his own incapacity to change the future in any way.

When he was about 10 meters away from the kopje, he hear Eshe´s voice from behind.

"Hey wait! I´m coming with you!" She shouted.

"Wha… Why?" Kopa asked astonished.

"What? Can´t I decide where to go now?" Eshe joked.

"Have you talked with your parents?" He reminded.

"Of course, but they know I´m tended to run away!"

"So… Where is this «knight´s stuff»?" The lioness asked inquisitively.

"Really you never had been there?"

"No…" She declared sincerely.

"Oh you're going to love it!" Kopa stated ironically


	2. Chapter 2

**First of all, I would like to thank to Asante for his infinite patience towards my tedious PM´s and story reading requests. If I have this story on the move, is in particularly because, of his support and good will.**

**Hope all of you have enjoyed reading the first chapter, hope you haven´t find it «very boring», but the reason for that was to create: «suspense»!**

**I have been writing and re-writing the story sketch for two weeks, and still don´t like the way it is taking, (don´t worry the messy part is only chapters ahead).**

**Enjoy the reading.**

**Chapter 2 **

The early sun was now stretching his luminous arms, over this corner of the earth, bringing new life and hope, to a brave new day.

They left the Kopje in the quietude of the morning, following a straight path near the river bank. As they walked Kopa wondered over the admirable shinny reflexes on the Rovuma clear waters, those reflexes reminded him of Eshe´s summer sky coloured eyes.

He gave a quick peep to the side, and for a brief moment his eyes got fixed in hers. His heart skipped a beat when he saw those blue irises staring at him.

"So… Have you already decided the name for the new-born?" Eshe asked, percepting that Kopa looked at her.

"Not exactly…" Kopa muttered "My father says that should be mother and I, to give the name."

"Have you already think of somehting?" The lioness smiled to Kopa, knowing his difficulty to continue a conversation.

"Well… My mother would like to call him Amri, if is a boy." He answered.

"And if it is a girl?" Eshe stated with a tone of irony.  
"In that case, I would name my sister…"

"Name her…"

"I thought of Lala, but im not sure… A name is a thing for life…"

"Lala… The lioness mumbled after sometime staring blankly at Kopa. "I think it´s a beautiful name. Plus I can´t recall anyone called Lala."

"Thanks." He simply smiled.

They reached a bifurcation in the path. The left one would lead them to the river, and the right one, to a large plain where the other lions were gathered. Kopa lead Eshe to the right, where they found a large trail ahead of them, Kopa observed the ground of the path which would lead them to the river. He found paw prints he had never seen before. They were more like a trail made by a worm, but there were two trails parallel to each other. He placed his paw in the strange track made on the ground, the animal who made that was for sure bigger than a lion, maybe the size of a hippo, he thought.

"Who you think, that could made this?" Eshe asked with a bit of fear shown in her voice.

"Is for sure no animal!" Kopa stated. "Unless this animal haven´t lifted his paws, look, it´s a continuous track…" He noted placing his paw in the print on the ground and rising his arm following the straight line to the horizon.

"I don´t like this place…" Eshe muttered to Kopa.

"Me neither…"

Both followed the right trail, ignoring the strange tracks behind. Finally they reached a dry plain, with some dead acacia trees in the horizon. A group of lions was noticeable in the distance, as they approached an old male lion, greeted Kopa from the distance.

When they stepped closer, the elder lion noticed that Kopa was with the lioness, and gave him a despicable look.

"You must be Mosi´s son…?" The old lion spoke.

"Yes, sir." Kopa replied in a secure intonation.

"As you know, today we are making official matches." The old lion informed. "Be ready, next fight will be you against that one over there…" He said spitefully, pointing at a huge full grown lion, who was probably two times bigger than Kopa.

Kopa poked the older lion in the shoulder, as him was watching the fight. "I feel sorry to annoy you sir, but my father told me that, the size of the opponents should be similar so that the fight can be called fair… And my assigned opponent is at least two times bigger than me…"

"Just tell me… Is Mosi here?" He blurted.

Kopa glanced the disrespectful individual with a mist of anger and fear.

"No, he stayed in the Kopje, to help my mother, whose waiting for the second child." Kopa informed, now in a slightly irreverent voice.

Kopa observed the circle of lions ahead of him. He sneaked over another lion´s shoulder, seeing two male youths fighting violently, and circling each other, trying to catch it´s opponent in the best angle.

The two youths fought violently, the fight consisted in a simple set of movements. Basically, go forward, attack, go back defend, go forward, attack, go back, defend… And this would be repeated by both, till one of them fell exhausted at the paws of the rival.

After beholding such show of savagery, Kopa went back to where Eshe was laid in the grass, a few feet away from the circle of combatants.

He laid his chin in the grass, letting out a sigh of ennui.

"Who are you going fight with?" Eshe asked concerned.

"With that guy over there…" Kopa pointed to a full grown lion who was watching the fight.

"That oldie must be senile!" Eshe yelled in an insulted manner.

Kopa place his paw in Eshe´s mouth. "Are you crazy? That guy know´s my dad!" He whispered nervously.

"And…" Eshe uttered with Kopa´s paw still in her mouth.

"And I don´t want to get troubles between my dad and the «oldie»…"

"Ok... So you´r gonna be torn apart just to don´t get troubles…?" The lioness joked.

Just when Eshe finished the sentence, several roars echoed in the air, both looked to the circle of lions, which now had opened, to let out two youths, one of them had his mane completely dishevelled, the other had a deep cut in the cheek.

As the two youths left the ring, a mighty looking lion entered the circle, the same the older lion had pointed sometime before, as he stepped to the centre he would look around with an arrogant smile. He stopped in the middle of the camp, all the lions were now focused in Kopa and Eshe , both laid in the grass with terrified looks on their faces.

Giggles and murmurs infested the air, while Eshe tried in vain to stop Kopa, from entering the arena.

The lioness shook his head with his blue eyes wide open, then in a last desperate try, she placed her paw on hims "I should go…" Kopa whispered, as he stood up and headed to the circle.

Eshe stayed in the outside of the arena with the other watchers, as Kopa went to the center.

The two lions faced each other. Kopa gave a glance to the older lion who was standing ahead of him.

"Fight." The old lion instructed.

Kopa began circling it´s opponent, who after three or four circles around the small lion, charged onto him, almost pinning him down.

After recovering the balance, Kopa turned his view to Eshe, who was with her giant blue eyes attending him at the distance.

Then, the voice of his mother came to his head. Those words «Make me proud of you!» made his heart weight a ton, a vague thought came to his head, in which that could be his mother, last words, and consequently her last which.

He shook his head violently as if trying to dislodge the horrible thought from his head, then, he ran fearless towards his opponent, who was still circling him. He hit the large lion in the head with his paws, trying in vain to take him down, the strong stature from the opponent made his strike useless, as he didn´t even moved.

One kick from the larger lion was enough to put Kopa to the floor.

As he was trying to stand up the fastest he could, his opponent strike him on the shoulders, making him fall to the side violently.

After painfully hitting the ground, as he tried to get up his muscles became stiff, he moved his eyes, trying to find hers in the group. While trying to do so, he saw a shadow over him.

He felt the enemy´s full weight on his neck, and tried desperately to find Eshe in the group of leonine figures that were now fading away from his gradually more blurry vision.

…

No longer he felt the paw of the lion on his neck.

He felt an agonizing pain in the back of the head, and a strong taste of blood on his throat. Slowly opened his eyes, and saw a wall of lions a few feet away from him.

He felt some pressure on the left shoulder, he turned his head to the side, and found Eshe, with his head leaned against him.

When feeling him moving, she laid face-to-face with the fallen lion.

"Hey sleepy head…" Eshe whispered in a tender voice

"What happened?" Kopa mumbled, still dizzy from the lack of oxygen.

"You passed out…" The lioness said in a hushed tone, before burying his face on Kopa´s mane.

His eyes watched closely the other lions, as they were watching closely Eshe´s affection towards him, all that situation didn´t pleased him.

Kopa tried to get up, but as he tried so, his legs trembled uncoordinatedly, almost if he had lost all of his strength, his legs had go numb from the position he had stayed for so long, In that moment he looked around paranoid, afraid of the other´s reaction to his helpless state.

Noticing Kopa´s attempt to arise, the lioness moved back some steps, In order to give him space to move.

The lion again tried to move, he got in all fours very precariously, and walk slowly back to Eshe, who immediately leaned on him, as if to give support, leading the way back to the Kopje.

As they left the training ground unconcerned, Kopa peeped back, where the other males had gathered, surprised for Kopa´s blitz departure.

"How much time, did I stay unconscious?" Kopa asked still staggering like a little cub, just learning to walk, due to his asleep leg.

"About half the day…" Eshe told in a playful tone, looking to the dusking sun above the dead acacia trees.

Kopa look behind, making sure the others weren't around, then his eyes gaze the dark blue sky above him, no stars were already visible except one, a brilliant star, that for as long as the time could tell had always been there.

Soon they got out of the plain, and followed the straight path back to the Kopje, as they walked Kopa would oftenly stretch his back legs, trying to get rid of the tingling.

They walked side by side, the sound of the birds and the fast water from the river, fill the air.

"Hey Kopa, just to know…" Kopa raised his eyebrow when hearing Eshe´s strange intonation.

"When are you going to abandon the pride?" The lioness asked, her voice trembling.

"After my sibling has born." Kopa spoke, now with an assertive dark voice.

"My brother also left sometime after I was born…" Eshe mourned on his shoulder.

Kopa didn´t know Eshe had a brother, even less that he had been exiled. He looked to her, as she would turn his head more to the side, in shame of Kopa seeing her crying.

"I… I can´t lose you!" The lioness whimpered, as she lay her head in Kopa´s mane.

Seeing the lioness crying Kopa, just wanted to do the same, he closed his paws with strength, trying to avoid tears from coming to his eyes. Suddenly, words came to his mind, words that he had heard and got stuck on his mind.

"Hey… Eshe, look to the stars!" He said in a calm and tender voice.

The lioness´s teary eyes shined strangely when looking to the zenith pinpoints, her azure irises shinned with the naivety for the feelings that the youth brings.

Kopa continued talking, his voice trembled, however, he was sure of what he was saying.

"Aren´t they beautiful?" He asked.

"I guess so." Eshe whined, looking at the dark blue sky for a brief moment, returning again to Kopa´s mane.

"Sometimes, when I look to the stars, I imagine them as the spirits, of everyone that for once had seen the dawning sun. I can gaze at them, and never feel alone, because I know good souls are watching from above. I just want to let you know, that whenever you feel sad or alone, just look at them, and seek inner peace from their light."

Kopa hugged Eshe, and in a tender, however afraid voice, he whispered at the lioness´s ears.

"I love you."

**And I guess this chapter came to an end.**

**This one was really short, but my writers block almost won me this time. I´ve bought another dictionary, this time a huge Oxford, hope I can express me better in the next chapters.**

**Hope all of you have enjoyed the reading till here. **

**Asante, probably was in wrath mode, after reading my first chapter, since it seemed like I had created some incompatibilities between mine and his story. In fact this won´t occur (but you´ll have to stay tuned for the next chapters to find out!)**

**As always thank you for reading, and if you liked it please fav and follow!**

**PS: I´m battling with the chain of events in the next chapter, as I intend to make it better than this one.**


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